In re T.W. CA2/2

BACKGROUND

1. The Family Mother and the twins are from Honduras. In July 2023, mother fled her home and emigrated with the twins to the United States, seeking asylum and to escape the twins’ father Edwin W. (father). Despite efforts to locate father, his whereabouts remained unknown for the duration of the proceedings below. According to mother, father continued to reside in Honduras. Neither she nor the twins had any contact with him. Mother has three older children (two teenagers and a seven-year-old) from a different relationship, all of whom reside in Honduras with members of mother’s family.

2 Mother speaks a Honduran dialect called Miskito. Mother described men in her Miskito culture as “dominant, abusive and violent with our women.” She said “nothing is done to prosecute abusers.” Mother struggled to escape her relationship with father. They lived in a small village in a remote mountainous region of Honduras. Mother said, for years, father beat her with his fists or a belt, and slapped her when he came home drunk or drugged. He raped her. One time, father hit her ear so hard that it bled and caused hearing loss. One night, when the twins were a year old, father was…